Representing different dance forms of India, a mega group of nearly 2,500 artistes is set to perform on the Kartavya Path here during the 77th Republic Day parade, whose main theme will be the sesquicentenary of ‘Vande Mataram’.
The broader theme of the performance will be — ‘Swatantra Ka Mantra – Vande Mataram’ and ‘Samriddhi Ka Mantra – Viksit Bharat’, officials said.
The members of the creative team that has worked on it include — M M Keeravani as music director, Subhash Sehgal as lyricist, Anupam Kher as narrator and Santosh Nair as choreographer, under the overall supervision and direction of Sandhya Purecha. Creative design and costumes shall be handled by Sandhya Raman, they said.
Keeravani shot to fame after the ‘Naatu Naatu’ song composed by him for the blockbuster film ‘RRR’ won an Oscar award in the Best Original Song category in 2023.
The defence ministry, in a briefing on the Republic Day celebrations held last Friday, had announced that Keeravani is part of the creative team behind the cultural performance that will be hosted on the ceremonial boulevard on January 26.
Officials in the Ministry of Culture said the nearly 2,500 artistes will represent different dance forms of the country such as Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, and Manipuri.
Keeravani, earlier in the day, took to X to share his joy about being part of the team.
“Dear all, Vande Mataram! On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the iconic song Vande Mataram, I feel deeply honoured and privileged to have composed the music for the 26th January Republic Day Parade, under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture. This grand presentation will be performed by 2,500 artists from across India. Stay tuned as we come together to celebrate the spirit of our nation,” he posted.
In accordance with the theme, enclosure backdrops along the Kartavya Path will display old paintings illustrating the opening stanzas of the national song and floral artworks at the main stage paying homage to its composer Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
In a departure from traditional practice, ‘VVIP’ and other labels, used earlier for enclosures at the parade venue, will not be used. Instead, all enclosures have been named after Indian rivers, senior officials of the defence ministry said on Friday.
These include Beas, Brahmaputra, Chambal, Chenab, Gandak, Ganga, Ghagra, Godavari, Sindhu, Jhelum, Kaveri, Kosi, Krishna, Mahanadi, Narmada, Pennar, Periyar, Ravi, Sone, Sutlej, Teesta, Vaigai, and Yamuna, the officials said.